One thing that can be said of Her Next Friend is that they’ve certainly got ideas. Their rather poetic lyrics get a lot of room to spread on out this album: they’re delivered in an almost total deadpan over the lo-fi sound of somebody wailing on a guitar. Certain words, and the images they conjure, stand out with stark clarity. “Smoking rocks of jade?” and “Stretched out on the bottomless floor in search of a house with no doors?” They say this, and it works.

Sometimes this album seems more interesting than fun, though. None of the melodies stand out and none of the beats are strong enough to hold the compositions together. Some of the scratchy electric guitar, particularly in “Girls at the Zoo” is nice, but most of the other stuff just doesn’t leave much of an impression once the song ends. In fact, sometimes they seem to be trying so hard it’s almost funny, as in “Goodbye to All That” which has guitar work that sounds like it belongs in the 80’s with very big hair.

“Don’t Get Real on Me Man” offers some of the most engaging lyrical play in the album, but it also seems to admit that the music is not capable of sustaining the song on it’s own. They’re clearly trying, but what’s left when you remove the vocals is pretty monotonous overall. However, the end and fade out deserve special mention: the twinkling jazzy feel here works very well, and ultimately, “Don’t Get Real on me Man” is probably the song that plays to the band’s strengths the best.

It’s those same strengths that make this album engaging, and while the band could benefit from a little sharpening of their ideas, this is still an easy album to recommend. [By: Ryan Simmons]
Rating: 3/5
Release Date: November 4, 2009

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